A Blockbuster Trade for Buster, Giants

 

Twas a Happy Father's Day for all fans of the San Francisco Giants, whether you're actually a father or not after the news broke of a blockbuster trade that sent All-Star slugger Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox to the Bay Area. With more than a month before the MLB trade deadline and the Giants at 41-31 in a neck and neck battle for first place out west with the rival Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco took the field on Sunday for their rubber-match against their longtime foe trailing by only 1 game. But just 20-minutes before first pitch of a game that was nationally televised on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball, Giants skipper Bob Melvin would be forced to call an audible as left-handed pitcher Kyle Harrison who was slated to be his starting pitcher was pulled from the bullpen during his warmup session after learning that he would be one of the centerpieces of the trade for Devers. In addition to Harrison, the Giants also sent right-handed pitcher Jordan Hicks and prospects Jose Bello (reliever) and James Tibbs III (outfielder) to Boston, the 13th overall pick in last July's Draft. 

For a team that has touted the best bullpen in the Bigs and a starting pitching staff that has been plenty solid, the Giants offense on the other hand hasn't necessarily delivered their end of the bargain, sitting at 24th in batting average and 20th in both doubles and home runs. Much to the displeasure of Giants fans who have expressed their frustration on social media (myself included). Buster Posey has heard those cries loud and clear and in his first year as President of Baseball Operations in San Francisco, has now answered them by making the type of trade that could change the landscape of the entire organization. The addition of Devers gives the Giants the superstar slugger they've tried so desperately to land over the last several off-seasons but have struck out. Despite signing shortstop Willy Adames this past December to the most lucrative contract in franchise history (7-years, $182 Million), they had whiffed on all the big fish they had attempted to catch prior, including Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper and Shohei Ohtani just to name a few. Landing Devers now will help alleviate some of that pain and will leapfrog Adames as the highest-paid Giant ever. After signing a 10-year extension with the Red Sox in 2023 worth $313.5 Million dollars, San Francisco will take on the remaining $250 Million-plus of Devers' contract. 

Hitting .272 on the year with 15 home runs belted and 58 RBI, Devers automatically becomes the most feared hitter in the lineup and will depart from his time in Boston with his last hit as a member of the Red Sox being a home run against the archrival Yankees just hours before the team decided to send him packing. With experience at both third base and DH, Dever figures to start at third base in the absence of Platinum Glove-winner Matt Chapman who is expected to miss several weeks with a hand injury, before Devers likely makes the switch to DH or first base. While the deal hasn't been received well by Red Sox Nation on social media, Devers' last few weeks in Boston didn't leave the best taste in the mouth of the Red Sox front-office after both sides failed to see eye to eye following the addition of All-Star third baseman Alex Bregman back in February which led to Devers' initial refusal to move from the hot corner to accommodate Bregman. While Devers would eventually bite the bullet to allow Bregman to play third, the damage was already done. Things only soured further after Devers was asked to move again from DH to first base following a season-ending injury suffered by Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas, which Devers again refused. In the hours after dealing Devers, Boston's front-office admitted they weren't shopping him around but were listening to offers when San Francisco came knocking. 

Turning the attention to Boston, both Kyle Harrison and Jordan Hicks have had their ups and downs in San Francisco and will welcome a clean slate in bean town. Following a dazzling Minor League career and being called up to the Majors in 2023 and becoming the second youngest Giants starter since Madison Bumgarner at the young age 22, Harrison had shown flashes in a Giants uniform but hadn't panned out to be one of the top young arms in their starting rotation like they had hoped. Failing to make the team's Opening Day roster in 2025, Harrison began the year in the Minors before being called up in May to mainly serve out of the bullpen. Meanwhile, Hicks who signed a 4-year, $44 Million dollar contract with the Giants in 2024, began his tenure with the Giants absolutely on fire having been converted from a reliever to a starting pitcher. However, his blazing hot start began to fizzle out once the season wore. Once the temperatures began to rise, so to did his ERA. Opening 2025 as a starter again, Hicks again got off to a hot start as a member of the starting rotation before being demoted back to the bullpen. Red Sox pitching coach Andrew Bailey will try to work his magic to help turn both pitchers around and steer them in the right direction after having served on the Giants' coaching staff under the same title from 2020-23. 

As for the prospects, Tibbs may be the only part of the deal that will be tough to see go from a Giants standpoint given his potential and the Giants' luck or lack thereof in developing young sluggers from within their farm system, but even then this was a deal Buster had to make to help turn the tide. Tibbs, 22, is a power-hitting outfielder that was selected 13th overall by the Giants in last year's MLB Draft and could be MLB ready as early as next year. Elsewhere, Jose Bello is a 20-year old right-handed pitcher that was signed by the Giants out of the Dominican in 2023 as an international free-agent at the age of 17. Expected to be a reliever, Bello is still many years away from being Major League-ready according to his scouting report. 

As the summer months begin to heat up, the same could be said for Devers who is swinging a hot bat and will have a chance to stick it to his former team as San Francisco hosts Boston this coming weekend for a 3-game series at Oracle Park.  

Follow me on Twitter/X: @FraserKnowsBest 

Lakers pull trigger, Trade for Anthony Davis

For the second straight season, the Los Angeles Lakers have made a major splash during the NBA offseason by reaching an agreement to acquire the most coveted piece available on the market. While it was the acquisition of LeBron James that took the league by storm and shook the landscape of the league's signature franchise last season via free-agency, this time around it was a move made by trade that enabled the Lakers to acquire their newest member just days after the conclusion of the NBA Finals. Joining James and company in Tinseltown for the upcoming 2019-20 NBA season will be six-time All-Star and former first overall pick Anthony Davis who was acquired over the weekend from the New Orleans Pelicans. Though pairing LeBron with the talented 26-year old big man is the latest step in the Lakers' efforts to end their longest postseason drought in franchise history, it didn't come cheap as they certainly paid a hefty price in return.

In exchange for the three-time All-NBA swingman, the Lakers sent a package deal to the Big Easy that included PG Lonzo Ball, SF Brandon Ingram, SG Josh Hart and three first round picks, including the No. 4 pick in next week's Draft. Add those names and picks to a roster that already includes former Laker Julius Randle and All-Star guard Jrue Holiday and will soon add Duke sensation and consensus No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson, and the Pelicans appear to have themselves a nice little squad of their own. The deal which can't be made official until July 6, is a major win for a Pelicans franchise that would've seen Davis walk via free-agency following the 2019-20 season otherwise. While the Lakers did ship off many of their young assets, they did however manage to hang onto forward Kyle Kuzma who has easily been the most productive player among L.A.'s young core over the past two seasons and was initially believed to be one of the main pieces the Pelicans were asking for in the package deal. And as if the Lakers weren't already in win now mode given the window is closing more rapidly than ever for James who will be entering his age 35 season and the second year of his 4-year, $153.3 Million dollar pact with the team, the addition of Davis coupled with a pair of key injuries suffered by the Warriors' Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson could result in a major shift in power out West.

While the race for Anthony Davis appeared to be only a three-team race between the Lakers, Boston Celtics and New York Knicks, L.A. proved to be the only team with enough ammunition willing to pull the trigger. While the Knicks simply didn't have enough assets to garner the Pelicans' attention, Boston's unwillingness to include the promising young talent of Jayson Tatum made the Lakers' offer the most attractive as they eventually came out as the winners in the Anthony Davis sweepstakes. However, the Lakers' reloading phase won't stop there as they'll now focus their attention on acquiring another possible max-contract player with such names as Kemba Walker and Kyrie Irving leading the charge. Or could it be someone who's slipped under the radar like Jimmie Butler? While it remains uncertain who will be joining LeBron and Davis in the purple & gold for the upcoming season, one thing that is certain is that newly hired head coach Frank Vogel's Lakers team saw their stock rise just moments after the trade news broke, as they currently sit as the odds on favorite to win the NBA title next season at 7-2 according to the Caesars Sportsbook in Las Vegas.

But for now, the trade serves as some long awaited good news for Lakerland following a tumultuous season both on and off the court for the once proud Lakers organization that has had its fair share of bumps and bruises and has been rather out of wack over the past 6 months. From the botched trade to land A.D. down the stretch before the NBA trade deadline that sent the team into a downward spiral, to the firing of head coach Luke Walton, to the very publicized rocky relationship between front-office officials which ultimately led to Magic Johnson stepping down and resigning from his position as the team's president of basketball operations, and everything in between.


Follow me on Twitter: @FraserKnowsBest

Shaq Traded to The Cavs

Following Thursday's NBA Draft, Trades began to develop and one of the biggest, involved what many have gone to call the Greatest big man to ever play the game. Shaq already tasting Championship glory and sharing trophy's with some of the best guards in the league (Kobe Bryant in L.A. and Dwayne Wade in Miami), will now get his chance for a tittle with LeBron James in Cleveland.

Early last season Shaq was dealt to Phoenix, hoping to be the final piece to their Championship puzzle. Instead the Suns decided to trade away the big man before his contract with the team was up, after failing to make it to the playoffs. In return they acquire backup Center Ben Wallace and the 46th pick of the Draft. After Shaq's departure of the Suns, it looks like they're now looking a lot less threatening, with only All-Star players Steve Nash and Amare Stoudemire on the team. It's likely Nash will want out of Phoenix after his final year of his contract is up, this upcoming season.

The trade will now solidify whether or not James sticks with Cleveland if the Cavs fail to bring home the trophy next season, as his contract with the team will also be up. And might determine whether or not he decides to play elsewhere (*Cough* New York). However Shaq teamed up with LeBron on paper sounds like it's going to be quite a pain in the ass for teams like Orlando and Boston to compete with. While the Western Conference looks to get weaker and weaker, and gives the Lakers a better chance to return to the NBA Finals for a 3rd consecutive year. Now we'll just have to sit back and wait for the team and fans to come up with Shaq's NEW nickname and see what corny pregame ritual's Shaq & LeBron come up with together.

Other notable trades following the 2009 NBA Draft included: Richard Jefferson to the San Antonio Spurs, and Vince Carter to the Orlando Magic in exchange for Rafer Alston among others.